Although the title of the place proclaims it "lunch," the restaurant's hours are open-ended, so the owners can play it by ear for downtown crowds. I can easily see this place packed with pre- or post-bar patrons on weekends for a little late-night "lunch."

The original Johnny's is a long-standing eatery in Jamestown, N.Y. But it recently launched a franchise in the Midwest, with a handful of stores in Michigan and Ohio, and there are plans to open more locations in the Grand Rapids area.

Considering the lack of a White Castle in GR, Johnny's might find a following with local folks.

Ambience: The dining room has the chrome-and-checkerboard decor of a classic diner; order at the counter, wait for your tray, then find a booth or a barstool.

Chow down: My guest and I opted for the same combo meal -- one dog, one burger, fries and a soda for $4.99. For $1.80 more, we got milk shakes instead of pop: the flavor of the month, jamocha, for me; chocolate for my guest. On a separate occasion, I tried the grilled honey mustard chicken sandwich for $3.99.

Well, how was it? Fast, filling and easy on the wallet. Johnny's regular burger is a relatively wee one, a step above a White Castle slider, topped with chili sauce, mustard and onion. We deemed it a solid, basic fast-food-style burger. Don't expect anything out of the ordinary with this one. I liked the Johnny Hot better, a fundamental frank with toppings in the Coney-dog spirit, chili, diced onion and a stripe of mustard. My chicken sandwich was solid, too, its tangy honey mustard dressing and cheddar cheese topping a hand-sized grilled chicken breast (not breaded). The fries were fresh and crispy, but our milk shakes stole the show -- the jamocha was delicious, and the concoction was good and thick. It took serious effort to get it through the straw, always a sign of a superb shake.

Other stuff I wanted to try: I wasn't feeling manly enough that day to tackle the Big John Triple Angus Cheeseburger ($3.39). And I was tempted by the fish and chips basket ($4.19).